These Ravens may resemble 2000 championship team

BALTIMORE– From the folks who brought you Super Bowl XXXV winning quarterback Trent Dilfer, the epitome of mediocrity, say hello to Joe Flacco and the 2012 Baltimore Ravens.

They’re out to show Tom Brady, Bill Bellichick and the Patriots, followed by whoever makes it out of the NFC, it just might happen again.

Since counting on creating another four turnovers might not be a good idea, it might help next Sunday if Flacco and the rest of the offense produces a bit more than in the 20-13 AFC Divisional round win over the Texans.

“I would anticipate against the team we’re about to play that you have to do a better job offensively in terms of numbers and stats and points than we did today,’’ said Ravens’ coach John Harbaugh. “We’ll see how that plays out. But it’s about looking forward. We’re not looking behind us or to either side. We’re just looking forward to the next challenge.’’

Flacco, who threw for just 176 yards and two touchdowns, while being sacked five times by the Texans’ relentless pass rush, is the man to lead the way.

“I told Joe, `Everything on the outside doesn’t matter,’’’ said 16-year veteran linebacker Ray Lewis, the lone survivor of the 2000 title team. “The only thing that matters is what’s inside our building and the confidence we have in him… .It’s absolutely the exact same thing we told Dilfer, so, it’s ironic being back in the same situation. For Joe to come in and lead the team to the playoffs last four years, if it was anyone else we’re praising him.’’

Had the defense not again cashed the check, with Lardarius Webb’s two interceptions tying a franchise record,then Ed Reed coming up with the pick on T.J. Yates’ with 1:51 remaining, it might have been different. But these Ravens, who went 12-4 during the season to win the AFC North and had a bye, are used to being unloved.

As Lewis says, they really don’t care, because there’s too much at stake.

“We’ve played the Patriots a number of times (including a 2010 win at Foxboro in their only playoff meeting),’’ said the 36-year-old “The game always comes down to being a classic. You’ve got one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time in Tom Brady and one of greatest football minds in Bill Belichick. With that being said, we welcome the opportunity.’’

Now can they take advantage of it the way they benefited from all those Texans’ mistakes. It started with rookie Jimmy Smith scooping up Jacoby Jones’ botched punt that led to the Ravens’ first touchdown, followed by the first of Ward’s interceptions that resulting in a Flacco-to-Anquan Boldin 10-yard strike that made it 17-3 at the quarter.

Then, when Yates and the Texans were desperately trying to make something happen in the fourth, picks by Webb and Reed sealed Houston’s fate.

“It felt too close,’’ said a relieved Ward, after holding off the Texans despite Arian Foster’s 132 yards rushing and Andre Johnson’s 11 yards receiving. “We’re thinking `Can’t we get a play?’Anything where they couldn’t score a touchdown and take the lead. But with Ray Lewis,Haloti Ngata, Ed Reed and these guys it doesn’t matter. We’re always talking about how we needed some turnovers to change the game. And whenever he passed the ball the front seven was pressuring him. `That made the interceptions easy on me. We weren’t perfect and there’s some things we have to correct. But we did well enough to get the win.’’

Which is all that matters at this point, as a Ravens’ team used to being scorned by others, will now turn the page and look ahead.

`”I always say ‘there’s a right way to do things and a wrong way to do things,’’ said linebacker Terrell Suggs. And then there’s the Ravens way to do things. It wasn’t really pretty, but we’re not really a pretty team. But we got the `W’ and we’re onto the AFC Championship.’’

The Patriots await, then perhaps the NFC Champs. Chances are no one thinks these Ravens have much of a chance.

Trent Dilfer, Ray Lewis and the rest of that 2000 team that won it all heard the same thing.